Caption: Spain
Group B
Barcelona is a sea of red roofs this photo taken by an astronaut aboard the International Space Station in December 2006.Photo: NASA

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Slide: 7 /of 33 .

Caption: Australia
Group B
This image of salt-encrusted Lake Dundas was taken in November 2011 by NASA's EO-1 satellite.
Photo: NASA

Slide: 8 /of 33 .

Caption: Chile
Group B
San Quintín Glacier, shown here in an image taken by the Destiny module on the International Space Station on June 14, is the largest glacier in Chile's Northern Patagonia Icefield.Photo: NASA

Caption: Costa Rica
Group D
A plume of volcanic gas can be faintly seen above Turrialba Volcano in this image taken by NASA’s Earth Observing-1 (EO-1) satellite in January 2010.
Photo: Robert Simmon/NASA

Slide: 16 /of 33 .

Caption: Uruguay
Group D
This image of Montevideo was taken by Landsat 5 in August 2011.Photo: USGS/Wikimedia commons

Caption: United States
Group G
The lowest point in the country is visible near the light blue splotch in this composite, pseudo-natural color image of Death Valley taken by Landsat 7 in June and July 2000.Photo: NASA

Slide: 27 /of 33 .

Caption: Portugal
Group G
This nighttime image of Porto (left) and Vila Nova de Gaia (right) on either side of the Douro River was taken by an astronaut aboard the International Space Station in April 2012.Photo: NASA

Slide: 28 /of 33 .

Caption: Ghana
Group G
The Songor Lagoon, shown here in an image taken in 2000 by a Landsat satellite, is an important stop-over for migratory birds.Photo: NASA

Slide: 29 /of 33 .

Caption: Algeria
Group H
The 2-mile-wide Qarkziz impact crater, created around 70 million years ago, is in the center of this image taken by an astronaut aboard the International Space Station in April 2012.Photo: NASA

Slide: 30 /of 33 .

Caption: Russia
Group H
The Lena River delta, shown here in an image taken by Landsat 7 in July 2001, is an intricate maze of channels.Photo: USGS

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Slide: 31 /of 33 .

Caption: Belgium
Group H
This image of Bruge was taken by Landsat 7 in May 2001.Photo: NASA/USGS

Slide: 32 /of 33 .

Caption: South Korea
Group H
This image of Phang on South Korea's east coast was taken in July 2009 by an astronaut aboard the International Space Station.Photo: NASA

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Watching the various playing styles of different countries in the World Cup this year got me thinking about all the things that influence how each team plays the game. Culture is certainly a big one, genetics is another. But what about the terrain? Do countries dominated by deserts play differently than those that are lush with rain forests? Could a mountainous countryside be more conducive to, say, a focus on offense while a long coastline might foster defensive strength?

Maybe not, but the variety of landscapes represented in the tournament this year is impressive, and the contrast between the homelands of the two teams on the field at any given time is often immense. Here is a look from space at the beautiful range of land forms in the 32 countries playing the beautiful game.
This image of barrier islands off the coast of Brazil was taken by Landsat 5 in June 2006. NASA/USGSGo Back to Top. Skip To: Start of Article.